At Home with UCOS
by 3mm3a
Summary: Seven years on from the death of Megan, UCOS are required to investigate the death of a Leeds woman found electrocuted in the bath. A crossover of two Amanda-based programmes of great british drama. New Tricks meets At Home with the Braithwaites!
1. Chapter 1

"So, what's the next case then?" Gerry waltzed into the office as Sandra's icy glare at his appalling punctuality froze the light hearted cheer in the room.

"You would know if you were here on time, for once Gerry. Wouldn't you?" She retaliated, retreating to face the board to disguise her smirk.

"Megan Hartnoll." She began, in the same old way she had done for the past 6 years. "Was reported dead hours after she was apparently 'found' dead in her bath at her country cottage home."

"Apparently?" Brian queried.

"Yes, well this is where it all gets confusing. She was living with her girlfriend, Virgina Braithwaite at the time and was in the bath. Virgina's sister, Sarah Braithwaite was downstairs whilst Virgina was out."

"That's it?" Gerry interrupted before Sandra could breath.

"No." She snapped back, annoyed at the sharp tone of his voice on this morning. "The family tumbled into a police station in Leeds all confessing to be at blame to the death. Apparently, Megan, who left her husband Mike Hartnoll to be with Virgina, had recently tried to trick David Braithwaite, Virgina's father, into thinking that he had drunkenly slept with her and blackmailed him one million pounds."

"HOW MUCH?!" Gerry exclaimed nearly falling off of his seat.

"David Braithwaite…" Brian mumbled but didn't say anything more so Sandra continued.

"David was married to Dame Alison Braithwaite." She answered, expecting Brian to click into action.

"Alison Braithwaite, winner of the euro millions lottery and winner of thirty eight million pounds. Mother of four, the youngest a child of an affair with her brother-in-law. She set up the Jane Crowther trust with her winnings to help other people." Brian filled in what was written in the file on Sandra's lap, half way across the room.

"Well, anyway." Sandra proceeded. "He told Alison, despite being divorced from her and she went to speak to Megan, who was in the bath at this time, to settle things."

"If we got a confession and it was cleared 6 years ago, then why are we wasting energy looking at it now?" Gerry asked. Sandra feared that a question of the investigations nature would arise because she didn't fully understand the reasons either.

"Orders from above Gerry." This gave the quick-witted woman time to think. "And because all of this is basically based on Alison's word. What if she actually threw the TV in with Megan because she felt it would be best for everyone if she was gone? God knows I wouldn't want my daughter hanging around with a manipulative decoy!" Sandra expressed. It was a valid point considering she was thinking on her feet, yet again.

"Decoy?" Jack asked.

"Someone who is paid by someone's other half to try and hit it off with them. This would prove their trust." Gerry explained as Sandra drew in breath to explain.

"And how do YOU know that, Gerry?" She questioned softly, smiling.

Gerry look up at her, shuffling from foot to foot.

"Jane used one on me back before we split up. About our sixth year of marriage. And, I took it. She wasn't a happy bunny!" He exclaimed but deep down, Sandra could see the shame he was feeling that he masked with his beloved humour.

"So where do we start?" Jack asked, trying to change the subject before an awkward silence ensued.

"We are going to look into the family's past and see where and when Megan becomes involved in the Braithwaite family and why. We should also find out what each family was like before meeting each other and how things changed from there on in." Sandra directed, as her team wandered over to their desks.

She stared at the board, looking at the different faces dotted over the whiteboard. How could one little family case look so confusing?!


	2. Chapter 2

"I've found an address for Alison Braithwaite. She moved out of the family home on Willaston Avenue when she was left with only the youngest at home. She now lives in Croydon." Brian announced to nobody in particular.

"Which is why it is a case for UCOS?" Gerry presumed. He was confused as to why a case situated in Leeds was being investigated by the Met.

"No," Sandra replied as she strutted out of her office with her coat and bag. "A new initiative that a successful unit like UCOS should be used for cases in different areas to see if it would be just as successful in smaller places. I suppose those in high places assume it would be easier due to it being in a smaller area. Why they don't just trial it like they did with us, I will never know!" She explained as the boys listened intently.

"Who wants to come and see Dame Alison with me then?" She offered, knowing the answer already.

"I will." Gerry almost instantly stood up, trying desperately to conceal the grin he was bursting to show.

"How did I know, Gerry?" Sandra sighed, and walked out of the door, held open by an eager Gerry.

They arrived at the door of 38 Chapelstone Road in Croydon as the clouds began to close over the sun. It was beginning to get colder during the daytime yet was the picture of a glorious day in August.

"Hello?" A blonde woman arrived at the door, and appeared not to be expecting anyone due to the surprise in her voice.

"Dame Alison Braithwaite?" Sandra hated this part because if they were guilty of something, it wasn't unusual for them to run but if they weren't who she was after, it opened up the whole new problem of trying to track them down again!

She nodded.

"Detective Superintendant Sandra Pullman and this is my colleague Gerry Standing. We are from UCOS, and are investigating the death of Megan Hartnoll."

At the word Megan, Sandra could see the fury and anger building up in Alison. It made Sandra think about how much damage she could have done to her family- and how much easier life would be without her in the equation for the Braithwaites.

She sighed deeply before stepping back to let them in.

"So how did you know Megan?" Gerry asked when they had sat done. He was inspired by how she had so much money yet the house and its décor was that of an average person. It was a family home that didn't seem any more special because of a few extra quid.

"Megan was our next door neighbour on Willaston Avenue and she lived with her husband, Mike and her two boys. They were pretty quiet, until we won the lottery and then she manipulated my eldest, Virginia, into funding her new life away from Mike and breaking up Virginia's relationship.

"How long before her death was this?" Sandra carefully tread on the subject, being cautious not to accuse her.

"We had known each other for about 2 years and this was about 18 months before her death." She replied, remaining unbiased about the death. She didn't seem thankful nor guilty and most certainly not sad of it and this intrigued Sandra.

"Can you tell me what happened on that night?" Sandra asked.

"David confessed in me, as pathetically as he always has done, that Megan had caught him at a vulnerable moment of him being plastered. The next morning, she told him that they had slept together and threatened to tell his…girlfriend what had happened. Unless he gave her one million pounds, of course. So I went around to the cottage to settle this."

The way that she hesitated with saying 'girlfriend' made Gerry wonder.

"Who was his girlfriend?" He opened the subject up.

"Elaine Fishwick. His tart on the side when we were married but they got back together after the second attempt at our marriage failed.

"And what happened when you saw Megan?" Sandra continued.

"I told her that she needed to get out of our lives once and for all. She refused and that's when I got mad. I grabbed the TV from the shelf and held it over the bath. This was her weakness and she saw how her life was in my control at that precise moment. So she gave in and said that she would leave. I was sick of the site of her and left the room, making my way out.

"And that's the last you heard of her?" Gerry confirmed.

She nodded again.

"The next thing I heard was my daughter, Sarah, rang to tell me that Megan was dead in the bath. They all thought it was me but I swear it wasn't. I wouldn't actually kill her. I couldn't. There was too much on the line and I wasn't going to let Katie and Charlotte grow up into adulthood without their mum. It wasn't fair to let her reduce me to that."

"So, Katie is your youngest?" Gerry asked, still trying to figure out the Braithwaite family tree.

"Yes, her sperm-donor was David's brother Graham and we had a relationship when David and I split for the first time."

"Is Charlotte still at home then?" Gerry again asked, using the question of which he already knew the answer to, to try and get an address for her.

"No, she is at university at the moment. Studying computer engineering." She said proudly. "I have an address for her if you want." She said, scrawling down the address onto a sticker-coated children's notebook on the coffee table.

"Does Katie not see her father then?" Sandra quietly queried, assuming that Katie was in the house.

"No, Graham sends a Christmas present to her but addresses it as 'Uncle Graham' like the other girls. As far as she is concerned, David is her father. I wouldn't want to make a significant distinction between her and my other daughters. It wouldn't be right and I highly doubt that she would understand at her age. She was diagnosed with autism last February too." Alison told them.

"Ah, I see. Well thank you for your time Mrs Braithwaite and thank you for the address. It saves us a lot of time, believe me!" Sandra cheerfully said as they made their way to the door.

"I'm just glad that you weren't accusing me. I was afraid this may crop up later in life but I really am innocent. It was just a coincidence. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions or need help tracking down people." She admitted as they were by the door.

As they returned to the car, Sandra whacked up the heating before putting on her seatbelt.

"She looked 'ell uv a lot like you, Guv!" Gerry pointed out as he slammed the door shut.

"Really?" Sandra seemed genuinely surprised. "Well, next stop-Charlotte Braithwaite!"


	3. Chapter 3

As they pulled up to the end terrace, Sandra wondered why a multi-millionaire like Alison would live where she did and what she would do if she was ever as lucky as to win big.

"Charlotte Braithwaite?" Sandra asked a young looking girl, wearing rounded glasses. She was surpised when Charlotte nodded to confirm her identity due to her looking not at all like her mother.

They went through the meet and greet process that never seemed to bore Gerry: he always liked people knowing that he wasn't just wishing away life in retirement, like he was before.

"What do you remember of Megan?" Sandra started.

"I remember her appearances becoming more frequent after it was made public of the winnings. She was around Virginia a lot but you have probably heard all of this from my mum." She answered, quite bluntly.

"So where were you when Alison went to speak to Megan on the night that she died?" Gerry wanted to confirm- they had seen cases of children murderers before.

"I was a home at the time. Mike stayed to look after Katie and apparently me too but he didn't really do much."

"Well, thanks for your time Charlotte." They said their goodbyes and left.

In the car, they discussed what they made of the case so far.

"So, Charlotte, Mike and Virginia are out of the equation." Sandra stated.

"Which leaves Sarah, Alison and David, I suppose. As far as we know, anyway." Gerry summed up the suspects left.

"I don't believe that Alison was involved, Gerry. I mean, why would she risk what she had? Baby Katie, her daughters, the money? I certainly wouldn't let someone of those morals reduce me to that!" Sandra felt, for the first time in a while, that she was defending a suspect.

"I get what you're saying Sandra, but we need to prove that she wasn't." Gerry tried to stay unbiased in this, without pissing Sandra off again.

"Yeah, I suppose. Well, let's go to Sarah's next and see if she can tell us anything else."

Sandra went to turn the ignition when she heard a faint ringing.

"Gerry, can you grab my phone from the front pocket?" She asked as she continued to start the car.

"Jack." He announced, already handing the mobile to her.

"Hiya, Jack." She greeted.

"No, we are on our way to see her now. Why?"

"OK, we're on our way."

And with that, the conversation ended.

"Sarah Braithwaite has ended up at UCOS. I wonder who told her about this then?" Sandra asked the rhetorical question as she turned the car around.


	4. Chapter 4

Sandra and Gerry walked into the familiarity of the UCOS office to find a young looking woman with long blonde hair sat on the sofa. She stood up as she saw them.

"Hi, I'm Sarah, my mum said that you were investigating Megan's death and I thought that I would save you the trouble of trying to find me." She blurted out in one jumble.

"Right, well I'm Detective Superintendant Sandra Pullman." Sandra introduced herself "and these are my collegues." She pointed out the three boys, identifying them by name before sitting down with Sarah.

"So where were you at the time Megan died?" Sandra asked. The case file had said that she was downstairs in the cottage but she wanted to be 100% sure. Sarah's answer confirmed the record was accurate.

"You know she was a decoy?" Sarah presumed, as Sandra nodded. "Well, I helped her out for a while. Then I stopped because- well, long story short, I got caught out and ended the job."

"What was this story?" Sandra was intrigued.

"Well, I got a decoy job on my teacher. We ended up in an affair and his loopy wife came around to my house. I was so scared she was going to hurt William and I was just lucky that Mum went into labour before she had chance to…" Her speedy language slowed down and faded out, maybe due to embarrassment but Sandra didn't know.

"Who's William?" Sandra hadn't heard of him before.

"My son. He's eight now. I had him when I was sixteen." She explained.

"So what did you think of Megan?" Brian asked, sitting with them and handing out tea.

"She seemed nice, until I realised it was her who told this loopy wife who I was and how she hurt Virginia. And what had happened with Dad and the blackmail!" She wasn't as good at concealing her anger like Alison was.

"Okay, well we will get in touch if we need to speak to you again." Sandra said, shaking her hand and escorting her to the main doors.

"Eager wasn't the word!" Jack exclaimed as she left.

"Well, maybe she was just happy to help us out." Gerry suggested.

"Or wanted the attention from somewhere…" Brian added as Sandra sighed when she came through the door again.

"So what have we got so far then?" She asked, gulping her tea and looking at the board.

"Megan was a decoy who employed Alison's daughter and had a relationship with an other." Jack started.

"She manipulated most of the family!" Gerry burst out as he sat down.

"Go on." Sandra encouraged him to follow up this accusation.

"She blackmailed David into huge amounts of money, broke the confidence of Virginia's relationship-if that's what you can call it, more like a way into the life of a millionaire- and used Sarah as an employee for her shit-stirring scheme which could have ended in disaster if that wife had got hold of them for any longer!" He proved his point.

They all had motive for murder.


	5. Chapter 5

"Why can't we just have a straight-forward case for once?" The blonde leader asked in despair as the team stared at the board of arrows linking faces to more questions that were still unanswered.

"Because it would be no fun!" Gerry sarcastically cheered as he got up to stretch.

"How about…" Jack started as he too got up to stand in front of his colleagues.

"Alison storms in after finding out about David's ransom" He began.

"But they were divorced, and by the court case, it wasn't pretty." Sandra started to pick apart his theory straight away. There was something about this case that meant she didn't want to mess people around any more than they had to.

"Yes, but this was the last straw. Seeing what Megan had done to Virginia and finding out about her involvement with Sarah, she would have been seething. One excuse to bring this all back up and she jumped at the chance." He explained. And Sandra had to admit, he had a point!

"Right, well we will go and see David: Jack and Brian, you speak to this teacher that Sarah was seeing. He was one of Megan's victims." Sandra dictated jobs as Gerry followed her to the door.

"Boxhall Manor?" Gerry said in surprise. He couldn't believe that HE would be going to Bowhall Manor!

"Yeah," Sandra sighed as the turned in. She could see why Alison would move into a normal house for a normal family. She wouldn't have been able to cope with all of that change…

"David Braithwaite." David introduced himself on the doorstep.

As they were led through the great rooms that just got larger.

"So did you know what had happened between Megan and Alison on the night that Megan died?" Sandra was very to-the-point with David: she didn't like him at all.

"No. We never really spoke about it." He was blunt too.

_Game on. _Sandra thought.

"If the divorce was so messy, then why the hell did you depend on Alison to do your dirty work?"

"I was scared. I panicked because I couldn't let Virginia know. It would have broken her and at the time, I believed that I had actually slept with Megan. Which I now know to be false."

"Trust a man…" She muttered, unprofessionally, under her breath. But she had a plan.

"I'm sorry?!" David sat bolt upright.

Gerry just sat back, quiet.

"Well, you were being as childish as to take money out of a resgistered charity and from your wife, the actual winner of the money, to point score and gain a few quid. And THEN you expect her to help you out!" She argued.

"I beg your pardon! I asked Alison to help me out. Give me advice! NOT TO STORM IN THERE AND MURDER HER!" David had exploded. He was furious and now standing up, his fist in the air.

"Woah." Sandra laughed calmly. "I hope you weren't like that with your family!"

"So she murdered Megan?" Gerry got back on track.

"No, not really. Just scared her. Alison isn't that much of a bitch."

"She certainly wasn't at that time! To defend you!" Sandra added in. She didn't care now. This wasn't part of the plan but she really disliked him and felt she had to defend Alison.

"Well, yeah. Exactly. She did me a favour by telling Megan to get out of our lives once and for all." David replied.

"And how do you know this?" Gerry asked.

"I was listening on the mobile." David explained. "And then all of a sudden, Megan sounded very scared. I presume this is when the TV was hanging over the bath!" David laughed to himself. "But she didn't kill Megan. I heard Megan's voice as Sandra walked out of the room."

"Right." Sandra had calmed down now.

"And our Sarah said that the lights flickered at least 10 minutes after Alison left. This is apparently when Megan was electrocuted."

"Well, we will get in touch with you again if necessary, Mr Braithwaite" Gerry formally said goodbye as Sandra just walked out.

"What was all of that about?" The roles had reversed now. For the first time in a long time, Gerry was 'Bird in charge'.

"He was just repulsive. How could he expect Alison to dig him out of the shit even when he had treated her like that?! Bloody men…" Sandra complained.

"Not all men! I certainly wouldn't treat any of my ex wives like that, and wouldn't expect them to help me out!" Gerry argued back, in defence.

There was silence.

"No, I suppose not. Sorry Gerry."

"No worries. Let's get back to UCOS." He shook it off as he knew what Sandra was like. And that's something he loved about her.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi, this is the round up chapter to the end of this story. Thought It would lead somewhere but forgot about how the story ends in AHWTB! Oh, well. Final chapter is here but short and sweet, I hope! Enjoy and reviews are very appreciated!

Emily xx

The next morning, the team were back in the usual scene; Brian sat glued to his laptop, Gerry standing by the door pretending to be smoking in order to calm his addiction, Jack sat with a coffee and Sandra sat sorting through paperwork mountains that had mysteriously appeared on her desk during the night.

Fed up, she slammed down the piles of files and walked out into the open space to join her friends.

"This is a waste of time and money." She stated.

"What?" Gerry had surely misheard. Was this Sandra Pullman giving up on a case?

"There is absolutely nothing to go on. No witnesses at the death so nobody to really question."

"Alison and David are prime suspects!" Jack defended the case.

"No, no. David was a helpless idiot who just wanted to get someone else to do his dirty work. It wasn't Alison because Sarah said that the lights flickered at least ten minutes after Alison's departure." Sandra argued her well-rehearsed point.

There was silence among the team: none of the boys could counter a point like that. Like Sandra said, they had nothing to go on.

"And besides, even if Alison DID do it," She glanced at the door quickly to make sure she wasn't saying something that she would regret in front of the DAC. "I would certainly feel worse by getting justice for a shit-stirring tart-"

"-You can't make assumptions, Sandra." Jack warned her before the feisty detective continued.

"I would feel worse about the fact that her little daughter-the one who is already different to the rest- would feel if she had her only dependent parent taken away from her. It just wouldn't be fair. And besides, nobody is actually campaigning for justice, are they?"

There were numerous sighs and mumbles as the team individually weighed up the pros and cons of giving up on the case before Jack stood up.

"If that's what you want to do, I'll stand by you with it. That case was getting boring anyway…" This statement of confidence by Jack was followed by two more nods as Sandra's smile grew wider.

UCOS was the only place that she felt that she had power. And it wasn't a power like in the other teams she had led. This was a power that didn't require the defensive barriers like with everybody else in her life nor did it have a great doubt hanging from it. This power was an authoritive yet equal power that she shared with her boys- if there was a decision to be made, they would nearly always make it together. And she loved it.


End file.
